ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — An Arapahoe County jury has found an Uber driver guilty of sexually assaulting a woman who was riding as a passenger in his vehicle in November 2017.
The jury deliberated for about an hour on May 2 before finding Bashir Alsayed Hassan, 64, guilty of unlawful sexual contact – a class 1 misdemeanor, according to a release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
On Nov. 16, 2017, Hassan picked up a 29-year-old woman who had ordered a ride home through the Uber app. After picking her up and stopping for fast food, the release says Hassan stopped the car and asked the woman to move to the back of his vehicle so that he could pick up other passengers.
While the woman was maneuvering from the front seat to the back, Hassan groped and molested her, the release says. During the assault, the woman repeatedly tried to fight him off, but was unable to, the release states.
“Here, a predator used his position as a driver providing an important service, relied upon by many in our community, to try to satisfy his sexual urges. The jury agreed that we will not tolerate this outrageous and criminal behavior,” District Attorney George Brauchler said. “I commend the courageous victim for contacting law enforcement and remaining invested in this challenging legal process to ensure this defendant could not continue with his abhorrent behavior.”
Hassan will be sentenced on June 28 in Arapahoe County court. He could face six to 25 months in jail.
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